The Colombian film La defensa del dragón (The Dragon Defense) the debut feature film by Natalia Santa, has been announced as the only Latin American feature-length film participating at this year's Directors' Fortnight, the non-competitive independent parallel section at the Cannes Film Festival.

Written and directed by Santa, and produced by Ivette Liang, the film follows Samuel, Joaquín and Marcos are three old friends who spend their days between the legendary Lasker chess club, Casino Caribe, and the traditional La Normanda coffee in downtown Bogota.

Samuel (53) is a professional chess player who lives betting on small games that he knows won. His best friend is Joaquin (65), a consecrated watchmaker who is about to lose the workshop he inherited from his father, and Marcos (72), is a Spanish homeopath who is dedicated to finding the formula to win in poker. Life will teach them that it is never too late to risk losing.

The 2017 edition of Directors' Fortnight will also screen the short film La Bouche by Colombian filmmaker Camilo Restrepo and the Brazilian short Nada by Gabriel Martins, and it will take place May 18-28 in France.

Cinema Tropical's programs are made possible with the support of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support ofGovernor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. They are also supported, in part, by public funds from theNew York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the National Endowments for the Arts